Resizing .45 ACP with .45 Colt die?

To USSR
My apologies re my snarky coment.
I had no idea the chamber of the 45 Colt had a taper while the cartridge did not. Thanks for the learning.
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No problem, mkl. What tuned me into it was the wasp-shaped cartridges that were being produced using my carbide die set. That has pretty much gone away with the change to steel dies. Can't say if all steel .45 Colt sizing dies have the built-in taper, but the RCBS steel dies seem to.

Don
 
Ok, so if the chamber is spec'd with a larger section at the rear, creating a taper on the fired brass, WHY ISN'T the case spec'd to be tapered??

The "straight case" revolver rounds are just that, .38 Spl. .357Mag, .41Mag, .44 Spl, .44Mag, and .45 Colt are all the same diameter from mouth to rim.

Hornady (for one example and only because it was the closest book) shows only one dimension for all those rounds.

Tapered cases, like the .45ACP show two dimensions, case mouth (.473") and case head (.476"), which leads me to believe those folks think straight cases are straight, not tapered.

The thought occurs to me, if the chamber is larger at the rear, why? Could it be to help prevent cases from sticking?

IF that is the case, then by not sizing your brass back "straight" aren't you defeating the purpose???
 
Ok, so if the chamber is spec'd with a larger section at the rear, creating a taper on the fired brass, WHY ISN'T the case spec'd to be tapered??
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The thought occurs to me, if the chamber is larger at the rear, why?
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You're asking the wrong guy, 44_AMP, I just react to the situation as it is.

Don
 
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The thought occurs to me, if the chamber is larger at the rear, why? Could it be to help prevent cases from sticking?

IF that is the case, then by not sizing your brass back "straight" aren't you defeating the purpose?
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The case expands to fill the chamber completely when fired. After the pressure subsides the brass relaxes a little. If the case is loosing it's elasticity due to too much pressure or the cases are work hardened they don't relax the same. If this happens, the taper in the chamber allows the case to release after the initial push of the extractor. If it was not tapered the case would be hard to remove as it would stick the entire length of the chamber.

I use tapered ties for concrete forming. It is the same principal. If the ties are not tapered they will not come out of the concrete no matter how big my hammer is. With a taper tie I can knock them loose with a 4 lb hammer. The ties are tapered from 1" to 1 1/4" in 3 feet.
 
USSR: What tuned me into it was the wasp-shaped cartridges that were being produced using my carbide die set. That has pretty much gone away with the change to steel dies. Can't say if all steel .45 Colt sizing dies have the built-in taper, but the RCBS steel dies seem to.
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Like AMP, I've lingered in "blissful ignorance" for 50+ years! But here's a question...do you lube your brass as is universally recommended, prior to sizing with the steel dies? For the shorter ones, .32 Long, .30 Luger etc., I've never bothered and have never stuck a case. Just wondering here in print vs. going down to the shop and digging out a 1960 vintage set of steel Lyman .45 Colt dies if they're still there and not hopelessly rusted up.

Wonder too, if the neck thickness would make up for the difference in sizing die diameters. .45 ACP having thicker necks than .45 Colt, or am I remembering .45 Colt brass from 30-40 years ago? Eye-balling it, it appears to be thicker.

At most, and even with carbide dies, I've found that a VERY Light wiff of spray-on lube seems to help with some that shouldn't need it...9mm Luger in Redding dies comes to mind.

But with some of the old 310 Tong tool sizers, I had to lube every case, regardless of caliber, and carefully allowing me to open the pliers type handles without inducing a hernia. Why I bothered to do that with a perfectly usable set of presses, dies, and bench tools down stairs is open to discussion but I've found it to be satisfying to sometimes harken back to a simpler time...see how the really old timers did it, and then to savor the results that are every bit as good.

Just some musing here...YMMv Rod
 
Hi Rod,

Yeah, definitely lube the cases when using a steel die. I use my home-made lanolin/alcohol spray-on lube, so not a time consuming or awkward process at all. Agree with you that a spray-on lube such as One Stuck helps when used with carbide dies - only thing it's really good for. Can't help you with using a .45 Colt die for .45 ACP, as I use the appropriate die for each cartridge. So, yeah, dig out that old .45 Colt steel die and give it a try.

Don
 
rodfac said:
At most, and even with carbide dies, I've found that a VERY Light wiff of spray-on lube seems to help with some that shouldn't need it...9mm Luger in Redding dies comes to mind.
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Loading for handgun, I use carbide sizing dies for everything. I always use Hornady One Shot aerosol case lube, and it definitely makes a difference. The effort required to pull the handle is noticeably lower when the cases have been lubed.
 
Thx...I'm partial to Dillon spray for the easy ones (handgun), and Imperial Sizing for those that aren't, rifle primarily. If memory serves, the only steel dies I have left, moldering somewhere in my cluttered shop are . 45 Colt and .30 Luger. All the rest are carbide and I don't bother to lube those.

Best Regards, Rod
 
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I loaded up about 50 rds of .45 ACP using the .45 Colt size die and used a 200gr .452 lead bullet that I charged with 9.5gr of Blue Dot and used a firm roll crimp. They shot a lot better than off the shelf .45 ACP ammo has for me. Only thing I noticed was a lot of the Blue Dot remained unburned, so I'm gonna try a magnum primer next time or I'm going to switch to Unique.

Bottom line is it looks like I can get a lot better accuracy with .45 ACP in my Redhawk and that's nice.
 
TT,

Nice when things come together.:) Personally, I would use a much faster powder with that light of a bullet - Bullseye, Red Dot, 700X, etc.

Don
 
I was thinking about using Bullseye next, but I've generally avoided using it in big bores because I hear it can have issues when there's too much airspace. I guess that's only a concern in longer revolver cases, not .45 ACP.
 
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